Tainted Heart
by Nora Daltroy
Summary: A demon from both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's past has been brought back to life by the notorious Naraku. But her memories have been twisted, which is key in helping Naraku destroy the brothers once and for all. With them gone, he would have no trouble completing the Shikon no Tama. But will he suceed? Or will love conquer?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

"Itsuko."

A voice, low in key but soft in tone, pierced the darkness of her lonely mind. The voice bore only her name, calling her to wake from her long, deep and dreamless slumber.

"Itsuko."

_My name? _

"Yes." She managed to utter. Her body was weak and sleep continued to burden her still. She stirred, trying to force the repose and dullness to vanish.

_Yes. That must be my name. Yet still I do not remember…_

Itsuko could not remember anything of what happened before. The memories were there, however. She could feel them, trying so hard to reveal themselves to her. But somehow, they were blocked from remembrance.

A hand came to rest upon her shoulder, cold. It caressed her skin lightly in a way that made her tremble.

"Who are you?" Itsuko asked, her violet feline-like eyes fluttering open to see who it was beside her.

"Naraku."

The name sent a shiver to pass through her body.

_Such a cruel name. Surely this man with such gentle touches does not resemble it in soul. _

Red eyes stared down at her.

_So much sadness. _

She slowly reached up bother of her hands and touched the man's pale cheeks. "Why do I see such heartache and bitterness in you?" She questioned.

_Do I love this man?_

Naraku took her hands into his own and smiled, a pretense only known to him. "What do you remember, Itsuko?" He asked, ignoring her question.

Itsuko blinked her eyes. The struggle to remember anything sent a sharp pain into her forehead.

"I-."

_White hair. _

_ Golden eyes. _

"I-."

_Blood._

_Death. _

_Red eyes. _

These images flashed through her mind. But as quickly as they came, they went and were once again locked deep within the chasms of her mind.

"I can't remember anything." She finally responded.

"Good." Naraku's hand shifted. "And tell me. What do you feel?"

"What do I feel?"

"Emotion-wise. What are you feeling?" His hand moved to her hair, petting and running his fingers through the soft strands. "For instance, what do you feel when I touch you?"

Itsuko's heart sped up, pulsing quickly in her chest.

_Love._

"I feel…"

_Lust._

_I see him again… that man with hair. So beautiful. _

Naraku moved his hand again, this time to grip her throat. "You feel?" His finger nails dug into her skin, squeezing, making her unable to breath.

"Naraku?" All feelings of pleasure had turned into ones of fear.

"You are a powerful demon, Itsuko." The gentle touch was gone. The coldness of his hand and of his voice made her body numb, as if a freezing wind was sweeping through her.

_I hate you, Naraku. _

"Demons feel nothing. They do not feel pain. They do not feel love nor do they feel happiness." His voice rang.

Itsuko's chest began to burn fiercely. She looked down at herself to see her kimono open and falling at her sides, making her body exposed. Between her breasts was a scar in the shape of a spider, glowing a dark purple.

"I am your master now." He continued to say. "I brought you back from the dead. And as easily as I did, I can just as easily send you back to Hell." He opened his hand. Resting on his palm was an orb, glowing the same inky purple as the scar. "I control you. Do you understand?"

His words tore at her.

_My heart? When did it become so tainted? _

Her eyes close in a silent defeat.

_He holds my life in his hands. I must listen. I must obey._

"Very well. I will obey you then, my Lord Naraku."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

The sky was clear, a perfect fall day.

Dark clouds rolled in from the distance, moving fast across and swallowing up the sky in its gloom. The eeriness of it ripped away the peace of that cool and beautiful sky.

Thunder rolled.

Lightning flashed.

The two danced upon the sky, creating such a symphony that could only be accomplished by nature.

The blackened masses drew themselves over a village, as if they had planned to do so. The wind began to gust, and the rain threatened to, at any moment, unleash its fury upon the people.

Women hurried their children inside, clicking their tongues at the whines and protests of the playing children. The men gathered up their tools in the fields, quickly returning to their homes.

Wind blew.

Rain fell.

There was then a sudden calm. The winds stopped in motion. The thunder ceased, along with its brother lightning. Beams of yellow hope peeked through the dark clouds. Thinking that it was over, the people emerged from their homes, glancing up at the sky.

The clouds moved again and changed their shape. An obsidian funnel slowly touched the ground and in a whirlwind, dissipated. There appeared a demon, ferocious and terrifying in its look. But to the poor villagers, who would only have a chance to look upon it, it would only look like a shadow, bringing to them a red and gruesome death.

"Demon!"

This was continuously shouted throughout, horror filling the very souls of the people. For they all knew that this would be their end. But in a futile attempt, they fought back, shooting their arrows and throwing their spears. The metal simply bounced off of the agile demon.

One by one the men were killed off, leaving now only the defenseless women and children who were huddled in their homes, the places they thought was safe.

The demon lifted its immense paws and crashed down upon the wooden roofs, crushing the people inside. Some did survive, but as they tried to escape, were ripped to pieces by fangs or by claws.

Once the demon finished what it came to do, once there were none left to kill, a pink scar on its chest pulsed with a dark energy. Giving a roar of rage and pain, the demon flew up into the air with a mighty pounce, uplifting the dirt below its feet, and disappeared into the clouds.

* * *

"A storm?" Inuyasha asked, mostly to himself, when he saw darkness veil the sky above.

"Looks like it." Kagome answered him, humming as she walked along side of her friend.

Shippo, perched upon the human girl's shoulder, gave a comical snicker. "What's wrong Inuyasha? You afraid of a little thunder?" As soon as the fox demon poked fun at the man, thunder clapped, causing Shippo to yelp and press himself into Kagome's thick hair.

"Heh!" Inuyasha laughed with amusement. "Who's afraid?"

Kagome frowned. "It's not funny, Inuyasha!"

"Sure it is." He snorted back at her.

"I-I'm just a little kid, ya know?" Shippo said shakily, trying to defend his honor.

Inuyasha opened his mouth, an eye twitching, as he began to speak, and lifted up a hand to smack the annoying child. But a voice rose over the sound of his own voice.

"Help!" A man cried. "Help me please!" The villager's wrinkled face was vexed with fear, pain and agony, and his taut cheeks were stained with the many tears that had spilled from his wide eyes.

"What is it, old man?" Inuyasha asked with a glare, ticked off immensely.

"Please. My village…" The man was too out of breath to speak clearly.

"What happened?" Kagome asked with worry clear in her voice.

The man broke down in sobs that choked him, surprising both Kagome and Inuyasha. "I had just left! I wasn't even a minute's time away when it attacked." The sobbing man brought shaking frail hands to his ears and pressed his palms against the lobes, as if still hearing the blood curdling screams of the villagers. "It was terrible…a terrible creature of death."

"It must have been a demon." Kagome said, head now tilted in wonder.

"Yes. A demon." The man answered.

"Demon huh?" Inuyasha cracked each knuckle on his hand and then bore his claws. "Looks like this day won't be such a waste after all."

"Bring us to your village, sir, if you wouldn't mind going back." Kagome said, still harboring the small frightened fox demon on her shoulder as she spoke.

The man happily did so.

When they arrived, it became clear to three of them just how devastating this attack had really been. A lot of houses were no longer standing in place. Only splinters, strew out in piles over the soft square patches of earth remained. The houses that were still standing were on fire, collapsing even as they came near. The smoke from the large flames, along with the dirt still settling, thickened the air like a fog. But that wasn't the worst of it. Bodies of men, women and children alike were thrown out all over the blood soaked ground. But none of them would be recognizable, as they were ripped to shreds.

"Oh Inuyasha." The frightened girl turned and buried her face into the strong chest of the demon, her hands tightly gripping the fabric of his outfit. "What would do something so horrible? These poor innocent people…."

The angered Inuyasha looked around with narrowed yellow eyes as he tried to make out the scent of the demon. He hated creatures that killed for sport more than any other. This one would definitely pay for it.

"You. Old man." Inuyasha said to the surviving villager. "What did the demon look like?" He wouldn't have had to ask, but all the auras around him were muddled together.

_Smoke. Blood. Death. Earth… Plum? Dammit! _

He couldn't figure out what was what.

"It was a large demon, taller than the trees. It looked like some kind of _bakeneko._ It had black fur, the darkest black you can imagine. And its tail was unusually long…for a _bakeneko _at least."

"So a big cat with black fur?"

"Aye." The man, who had calmed down greatly, looked down in thought. "It had a white tipped tail actually, and a scar on it chest. It was shaped like…kinda like a spider of some sorts."

"A spider shaped scar?" Kagome cut in.

"Yes. Strange, isn't it?" The man asked.

A gentle breeze passed Inuyasha, coaxing him to walk away. His nostrils filled with a certain scent, something familiar to him.

_This scent…_

Bright and keen golden eyes, wide with uncertainty, slowly moved left to right and back again as an image was placed before him, playing in his mind. It was a woman. She was wearing a purple kimono covered in swirling pink patterns of butterflies and blossoms. Her back was facing him, and her hair pulled away from her neck, showing off porcelain skin and smooth arches. Her head slowly turned, her hair flowing gently as it followed. _Inuyasha. _He heard her say.

_ A sweet voice. _

And then it was gone.

He didn't get to see her face.

"That's strange." He muttered to himself.

"What's strange?" The high pitched, annoying voice of Shippo asked, breaking off the sudden tranquility the demon was feeling.

"Oi. Get off of me." Inuyasha picked the child up by the back of his collar and hit him in the head with a closed fist.

"I was just asking a question!" Shippo cried out, flapping his arms and his legs as he struggled to get free of the hold he was in. "Kagooooomeeeee!"

The _hanyou _let go of Shippo, who scurried away to sit on Kagome's shoulder. He tugged on the green collar of her uniform, pointing a small finger at Inuyasha.

"He hit me!"

"Well you deserved it." Inuyasha turned his back to them and crossed his arms.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome put her hands onto her hips and frowned. "What are you doing? What have I told you about hitting children?"

"Heh!" Inuyasha stuck his nose up into the air. After that, he didn't hear anything that was being spouted off to him. His attention had once again been caught by the soft scent.

_It's like…the scent of white plum blossom. _

His mind was flooded with her image, just as before. She was a dream of his past.

_Who are you?_

Her face was never revealed to him. His memory wouldn't allow it to be shown.

"Are you even listening to me? Inuyasha?" Kagome huffed and walked in front of the demon, on her toes. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha turned from her again, eyes closed and lips turned downward in a stubborn pout. "Tch. Come on Kagome. It's almost dark and we have a demon to kill." He was very much looking forward to doing so.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry my dears, I know that my chapters have been short. T^T**_

_**There's probably a few mistakes here and there, my mind is just not working today! **_

_**(The BOLD is when Naraku is speaking. The **ITALICS **are thoughts, but you probably figured that out already haha)**_

* * *

Chapter Three:

The great demon lord Sesshomaru stood in a field of emerald, high up on one of the many rolling knolls that expanded the valley. An everlasting cold expression held its place on his face, yet there was a hint of gentleness as he watched Rin, his human child, run around collecting flowers. This was one of her favorite places to do so, as the plain was covered in a colorful assortment of wild flowers.

"My Lord." The small girl said as she ran over to him. A bright smile was on plastered on her chubby face, her cheeks pink with excitement. In her hands were two flowers which she held up as high as she could. "Which one do you like better? The white flower or the purple flower? They're both nice because they both remind me of Lord Sesshomaru."

Jaken, close by as always, gave a scornful laugh. "Humph! Rin, don't be stupid! My Lord Sesshomaru does not care for such things!"

Sesshomaru reached down and took the flowers from the child's small hands. "Both are fine Rin."

"Yay!" Rin exclaimed, her cheeks burning brighter now. "I'll get you more then." She ran back down the hill, her arms held up over her sides as if she were pretending to fly.

There was a brief moment of silence. Then Sesshomaru spoke.

"Jaken." He said lowly, darkly.

"Yes my Lord?" Jaken asked rather quickly, head turning to look up at the tall man.

"Don't speak to Rin like that. Or I will put a quick end to your insufferable blabbering." Sesshomaru didn't even glance at the petrified demon as he spoke.

"Y-Yes my Lord."

The wind picked up.

Sesshomaru turned his head, tucking away his long locks of silver hair to keep it from hitting his face, as he looked in the direction the powerful gusts were coming from. Coming fast their way were large and dark clouds.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed sharply.

_ Those aren't clouds._

Rin, wondering why it was suddenly becoming so dark, ran up to her Lord and grabbed onto his pant leg. "A storm?"

"So sudden too." Jaken added.

Sesshomaru's nose wrinkled in disgust.

_Stinks like Naraku. _

"Jaken."

"Yes my Lord?"

"Stay here with Rin."

"But my Lord, you can't just…leave us….here." Jaken's voice gradually faded, and then silenced. The poor demon had gotten enough death threats from Sesshomaru to know that one was coming as the man turned his head.

But Sesshomaru simply glared to silence Jaken before he turned and continued after the mass of clouds.

_It's definitely Naraku. But there's another scent there, a faint one. _

Thunder cracked and flashed within the clouds, which began to expand the horizon. The demon inside leapt out and landed without a sound onto the ground. It raised its nose to the air before it turned its head. Violet eyes with large pupils looked to stare over at Sesshomaru who stood at a distance away from the large feline.

Sesshomaru made not move to attack, as he had no care to do so, and the demon went on its way, once again attacking and destroying a defenseless village.

When the demon returned to the fortress of cloud, Sesshomaru followed, flying up into the air and entered the darkness. Inside, it was completely voice. Sesshomaru could not see a thing, not even his hand as he held it up in front of him. All the senses were dulled. It was a frightening place to be, even to the _inu-youkai. _

When the darkness broke, there was a dark energy. Inside of that force field was a woman, her back to Sesshomaru. He could not get any more near, as the energy was built to stop anyone from getting in or from her getting out, so he stood in place.

The woman turned her head.

She had an almost perfect face. Her skin was white as snow with not a blemish upon it. Her eyes were the shape of an almond, bright and the rare color of violet. Her hair was dark and fell in waves around her slender body.

Sesshomaru stayed silent for a moment. His mind had to register what he was seeing.

_Itsuko…?_

"You're that man." She said softly to him. Her voice was musical and soothing.

"Itsuko?" He finally asked. His features were the same as always, cool and calm. But his voice trembled slightly, showing that his expression was false.

"That is my name." She slowly stood, smoothing out the folds of her layered kimono. "Who are you?"

"You don't remember me?" He asked.

"No. I've only seen you in visions. But I cannot recall-."

A wind passed by Itsuko, causing her long hair to swirl and tussle around her.

_**This is Sesshomaru. Of course you remember him. He betrayed you. He spoke to you of a pretend love and then took your life. **_

Truly, she did not remember this. But if Naraku said it to be true, then she had to believe that it was so.

_Just play along with it. Remember, he holds your life, Itsuko. Play his game. _

"Sesshomaru." Her eyes narrowed. "I do remember."

"You do?"

"You betrayed me. You killed me." A sad look came to be on her face. Even though the memories were not there, the feelings still welled up inside of her. "I trusted you."

A powerful burst of energy blasted out at Sesshomaru, taking his breath and knocking him from the clouds. With grace he landed back onto the ground, eyes locked upon the fast moving clouds. But he would not go after them.

_Itsuko? How can this be?_

Sesshomaru slowly walked along, a perplexed look on his face.

_You were dead. _

He had to find out what was happening. Naraku was definitely behind this. He smelt the bastard upon her.

_He's manipulating you again. _

Back to the place where Jaken and Rin were, he beckoned them to follow.

"Where are we going now, my Lord?" Jaken asked, scurrying after the demon.

"To that half-breed brother of mine."

"What? Why?" Jaken was surprised.

"Don't question me."

_He will be useful, perhaps, in helping you Itsuko. _

_ My Itsuko._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

"_**I will show you a vision of your past."**_

Itsuko heard Naraku say this to her.

Her eyes, which were closed, slowly opened, and she looked up into the darkness of the floating mass. The void had become her home, her prison, and she was only allowed to leave it when Naraku said it to be okay. But never was she allowed to leave in her humanoid form, only as her true form.

"What of it will you show me?" She asked him back, lowly. __

_** "I will show you what you have been longing to know. You want to know who Sesshomaru is and what he did to you on that fatal, final day. When these things are revealed to you, you will then understand why I must keep you locked up."**_

_ Sesshomaru. _

_ The man from my visions. It has only even been you that I have seen. Flashes of your white hair and of your golden eyes always appear to me. _

_ And then, as if my soul had exited my body, I watch as you, with strong arms, embrace my form and press my head into your chest. It's as if you are afraid that I will vanish if you let go of me._

_It feels so real. I can feel your touch. Your warmth engulfs me. I hear your soft and labored breathing as you're about to cry. I hear your heart beating quickly. Your scent is like none other. _

_ The whole of you is intoxicating to me, and I feel myself craving your embrace. _

_ But if what Naraku says you did is true, why do I feel this way? _

"Show me."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Night had finally fallen. The air was cool, a relief from the warm day. A waning moon hung in the dark, starless sky, its pale and comforting light veiled by dark wisps of cloud.

Inuyasha sat alone, arms and legs crossed. His sword rested on his shoulder, close to him as always. The demon's golden eyes were bright as he stared at the flames of a fire he had built to keep the sleeping Kagome and Shippo warm, who were both curled up in a sleeping bag.

_ That woman… Who are you?_

It was completely quiet, except for the faint sound of crickets chirping. Inuyasha's ears gave a twitch when he heard the slurping of a certain flea stuck to his nose. Heh. He hadn't even felt the bite. As if by some miracle, it was Myouga, the demon flea.

"Tch! Where've you been?" Inuyasha asked, flicking the flea off of his nose. He wouldn't admit that he was actually happy to see Myouga. The flea always knew everything, so maybe he would know who this woman was.

"Around." The flea said shakily, recovering from his fall.

"You mean hiding?"

"I'll have you know, Master Inuyasha-."

"Yeah yeah. Save it." Inuyasha, with his thumb and pointer finger, picked up the flea and held him in front of his face. "I have a question for you." Myouga blinked his eyes in surprise. "Okay." Inuyasha continued. "You know a lot of people right? Well today I caught a scent that triggered an old memory."

"A memory of someone?"

"Yes. Of a woman."

Myouga blushed, his eyes narrowing as he chuckled. "Oh a woman?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha's gaze turned back to stare at the flames. He could see her image dancing and flickering in and out of the fire. "She had…black hair."

"That doesn't tell me much Inuyasha."

"But it was strange. I caught the scent on the grounds of where a _bakeneko_ supposedly had attacked."

"_Bakeneko?"_

"It was Itsuko." The voice of Sesshomaru pierced the darkness and echoed around. The threatening demon stepped over, startling Inuyasha.

"What the hell? When did you get here?" The _hanyou _growled out.

Kagome, now awake, sat up. "What's everyone doing here?"

Sesshomaru looked at her, and then back at Inuyasha. "It was Itsuko who attacked. She's somehow back." He said, choosing to ignore the questions asked him.

"Itsuko?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes."

"Itsuko." Inuyasha whispered again.

A vision flashed before him, triggered by the name.

_ Inuyasha, a child, was curled up behind a large rock, hiding himself and crying. "Hello Inuyasha." He heard a woman say, and he turned his face to look up at the figure of Itsuko. She, with her rather small hands, reached down and touched the boy's cheeks. "Why are you crying?" She used her thumbs to wipe his tears. "Don't cry child."_

"How could I forget her?" Inuyasha asked himself, bringing a hand to his throbbing head.

"Who's Itsuko?" Kagome asked, butting in.

Both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru stayed quiet, so Myouga decided to answer. "Itsuko was a _bakeneko_ and a demon of legend, much like my Lord InuTaisho, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father. Her territory was to the East, I think." He chuckled. "I recall Master InuTaisho and Itsuko getting into many quarrels, a lot like the way siblings would fight. She was said to hold great and dark powers."

"Don't talk about her like you actually knew her!" Inuyasha cut in, his fist pounding down upon the flea. "She wasn't a great and evil demon like the legends say! No… She was the exact opposite of evil. It was really just a front she put up to cause the other demons to fear her…"

_"Don't cry child." _

_ Inuyasha blinked his large golden eyes up at the strange woman. "Who are you? How…How do you know my name?"_

_ "I'm Itsuko. I'm a friend of your father."_

_ "My father?" His eyes begin to sparkle. _

_ "Yes."_

_ "Can I meet him?" _

_ Itsuko frowned and shook her head quickly. "Your father died before you were born. Surely your mother told you that…" _

_ "So…my mom and dad are both dead?" His eyes pool with tears again. "Mama…" He whimpered. _

_ Itsuko's eyes widened. She didn't know what to do! So she put her hands onto her hips and gave a look of seriousness. "Hush now." She spoke with a stern voice. "Inuyasha. No more crying. No more! Your mother is gone and there's nothing you can do about it. Do you want the other demons to make fun of you when they see you crying?"_

_ "N-no."_

_ "Then stop it." She suddenly smiled with gentleness and gave a pat to his head. "There's a time to mourn, but in a more secret place."_

_ "Okay." Inuyasha wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, then stood straight up and put on a brave face. _

_ "Now then." Itsuko smiled brightly. "Come with me." She held her hand out to the orphaned child, who took her hand with his small one. "I was told by your father to teach you all about being a demon. I suppose he knew that he wasn't going to be around to do it. I figured now would be the great time to start." She pointed to the distance. "See those mountains? Everything past that is my territory. That will be your new home, for now." Her hand slid away from his and she ran forward, laughing giddily. "Come on!" She waved at him. Inuyasha, sensing her want to play, ran after her. _

_ "W-wait for me!" He laughed. _

"She was a good friend to me. She wasn't evil. She wasn't a typical demon. She was pure of heart and always saw the good in people." Inuyasha said.

"Stupid of her." Sesshomaru said with a tone of longing.

"That's probably was because Itsuko wasn't a demon from the start." Myouga said, jumping up onto Inuyasha's head.

"She wasn't?" Inuyasha asked.

Sesshomaru turned his head to look out at the distance.

"No." Myouga said. "_Bakenko _usually are originally domestic cats. Itsuko was a special cat, you see, as she belonged to the Emperor…"

The words of the flea faded out to Sesshomaru. He already knew the story and didn't care to hear it again, especially from someone who only knew little of what had actually happened. But now the memories played over in his mind and he closed his eyes, enjoying thinking of her again, after so long of pushing her memory away.

_"What's wrong" Sesshomaru asked Itsuko, who was staring out at nothing, completely quiet as they walked along beside each other. _

_ "What?" Itsuko looked up, blinking her eyes. "Oh." She gave a fake smile. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just missing someone." She slowly brought her hands up to her chest and folded them. _

_ "Who?" Sesshomaru asked, his brow furrowing in slight jealousy. _

_ Itsuko laughed softly. "Don't worry Sesshomaru. It's just my father. Well, not my real father, but the man who took care of me since the time I was born." She looked out again. "Being near the Palace reminds me of him. But it's been a long time since he died." She looked down in sadness. _

_ "You lived at the Palace?"_

_ "Yes. The Emperor owned me. I loved him so much. And I loved his wife too. She was so beautiful. But… I did something bad that made the Emperor hate me." _

_ "What did you do?" _

_ Itsuko shook her head. "I know you hate stories."_

_ "True. But it's you, so I want to hear." _

_ Itsuko blushed from that. "Alright." She looked up at him and then took his hand. Sesshomaru made no response to this, only interlocked her fingers with his. "I was past the age of ten, already a demon cat, when the Emperor's wife fell ill and died. He was so sad. And I was sad to see him depressed. So… I made myself look like her, thinking it would make him be happy. I made my hair like hers, and my face, and I put on one of her kimonos, the kimono I'm wearing now by the way, and went to him. But he got so mad…" _

_ Sesshomaru was sensing her sadness, and when her voice began to shake, he stopped her talking. "I get what happened, Itsuko. You don't have to talk about it anymore."_

_ "Why? It's my fault it happened anyway."_

_ "No it's not. I think it was a thoughtful thing you did, really." Sesshomaru looked away from the woman, his lips pressed together. "Don't talk about it anymore. I don't like to see you upset. I'm going to buy you a new kimono too, so you don't have to wear that woman's and be reminded of it all the time." _

_ Itsuko opened her mouth, then closed it and opened it again. "But Sesshomaru."_

_ Sesshomaru gave her a hard look. "I don't want you sad!" _

_ Itsuko felt herself grow incredibly submissive from that alpha type look, and nodded her head. "Okay." _

_ Sesshomaru sighed and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close to his body. "I do it because I like you."_

_ Itsuko smiled. "I like you too."_

"Was Itsuko your lover, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru heard Kagome say, and he turned his head, an annoyed look on his face.

"No." Inuyasha laughed.

"She was mine." Sesshomaru spoke, disgusted to think of his half-demon brother with his Itsuko.

"Oh." Kagome looked down, even more confused now.

"But she was dead." Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked up in thought.

"The scent of Naraku was mixed in with her own scent. He has something to do with it."

"You think Naraku brought her back to life?"

"Yes. And I think that he is trying to accomplish what he failed to do back then. But her memories…I think Naraku has tampered with them again." He looked back out at the distance. "She said that I betrayed her."

"You basically did. No wonder she'd think that." Inuyasha glared.

"I did what I had to Inuyasha." Sesshomaru glared back. _You don't know what really happened. _

"What did you do?" Kagome asked, butting in once again.

"He…" Inuyasha started, and then stopped to look up at Sesshomaru, who turned his head up to look at the moon.

"I'm the one who killed her."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

_**"I warn you Itsuko. What you see will change you."**_

__"I am ready to know. Please Naraku. Just show me."

There was a silence, a brief pause for thought, before Naraku spoke again.

_**"Very well."**_

Itsuko fell over, eyes closed, as she was knocked into a dream. 

_ Where am I? _

_ I don't remember this place at all. _

_ Itsuko walked around in a dream, looking up at tall trees that reached to the sky. "Naraku!" She called out. _

_ No answer. _

_ So she called again. Still no answer. _

_ "Mm. Where am I?" _

_ "Itsuko. There you are." Sesshomaru said from behind, grabbing her arm tightly. "We have to go. Naraku-."_

_ "Don't touch me!" She pulled her arm away, eyes wide with fright. _

_ Sesshomaru stood there, and slowly, a painful look came to his face. "Itsuko." _

_ Naraku appeared, smirking slightly. "Itsuko. Come here."_

_ "Naraku!" Itsuko looked at him, smiling with relief. _

_ "No!" Sesshomaru pulled her roughly to him. _

_ "Ah! Naraku! Help!" Itsuko cried out. _

_ Naraku leapt forward. But it was too late. _

_ Itsuko felt a warm liquid fall down her legs, and she looked down to see red staining the front of her kimono. _

_ I can't breathe…_

_ She slowly looked back at Sesshomaru, eyes dull. "Se-…" Her eyes closed and she fell to the ground. _

"Ah!" Itsuko sat up quickly, hands flying to her stomach as a dull throb of pain still resided. She gulped for air as she looked around the darkness.

_**"Now do you understand? You would not remember this. If you were to meet this man again, he would only trick you again, Itsuko."**_

___No._

_**"He wants you dead."**_

___No!_

_ You were the man of my dreams, the one who held me so lovingly and the one who I thought would be the one to save me. But you truly betrayed me. You killed me. _

_ Sesshomaru. _

"You tried to save me Naraku."

_**"Yes. You and our child."**_


End file.
